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The Lombard Police Department is cracking down on impaired drivers with an aggressive Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement effort, and is giving a fair warning to all partygoers: keep the party off the road this Halloween.

Additional Lombard Officers will be out in full force cracking down on seatbelt violations and drunk drivers from Oct. 28 – Nov. 1, due in part to a grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

“Driving while alcohol or drug impaired is deadly, it is illegal, and it will get you pulled over and arrested this Halloween,” said Lombard Police Chief Raymond Byrne. “If you want to stay safe and out of jail this Halloween, make a plan to get home without driving if you’re impaired.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nationally 43 percent of all people killed in motor vehicle crashes on Halloween night (6 p.m. Oct. 31 – 5:59 a.m. Nov. 1) from 2009 to 2013 were in crashes involving a drunk driver. On Halloween Night alone, 119 people lost their lives during that same period. Children out trick-or-treating and the parents or others accompanying them are also at risk, as 19 percent of fatal pedestrian crashes on Halloween night (2009-2013) involved drunk drivers.

In every state, it’s illegal to drive with a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher. In 2013, 10,076 people were killed in drunk driving crashes (crashes involving at least one driver with a blood alcohol content of .08 or above) in the United States. Even if you drive impaired and aren’t killed or seriously injured, you could end up paying as much $18,000 for a DUI.

The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign works to keep us all safe on the road and urges everyone to follow these simple tips:• Plan a safe way to get home before you attend the party.• Designate a sober driver, take public transportation, a car service, or a call a sober friend of family member to get home.• Walking while impaired can be just as dangerous as driving impaired. Designate a sober friend to walk you home.• If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact local law enforcement as soon as it’s safe to do so.• If someone you know is about to drive while impaired, take their keys and help them get home safely.

Please call the Lombard Police Department with any questions at (630)873-4400.